𝙃𝙚'𝙨 𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 • ɴᴀʟᴜ

Chapter 14 • Bruised

Lucy's P.O.V

After hearing Levy's story, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. I felt hurt that she didn't contact me, but little did I know, she was stuck in her own pickle herself. Who was I to feel hurt, after all she went through?

The rest of the day passed by quicker than I had realized. We spent another hour at the Café just chatting and catching up, then we went on some long walks getting into even deeper conversation. Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set.

"Ah, my legs hurt.." Levy stops in her tracks and hunches over to rub her legs.

"Yes, we have been walking all day.." her mentioning how her legs hurt makes me realize just how exhausted I am. Shit, I need a shower.

I wipe some sweat off my neck and forehead as I take in our surroundings. Oh boy, I am a loong way from the hotel.

Levy definitely can read my mind as she quickly says, "don't worry - I'll call Gajeel. Just give us the address to your hotel and he'll drop you off," she says as she starts taking her phone out of her pocket.

"Okay, that'll be great. Thank you," I smile.

***

"This the place?" Gajeel asks, pulling into the parking lot.

"Yep, this is it." I say, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"Looks cheap," he remarks.

"Gajeel!" Levy loudly whisper-yells as she smacks him across the arm from the passenger seat. "Not all of us live in luxury like you, y'know!" Levy scolds.

I mentally roll my eyes as I get ready to exit the vehicle. "Don't worry Levy, I deal with remarks like this every day in my own place of living." Saying this, I get reminded of how I am going to have to face Natsu after what happened this morning. I cringe at the thought of how awkward this is going to be.

Levy frowns at me before returning to Gajeel with a glare. He almost seems scared of her, which I find weirdly cute. I shake my head before opening the car door. "Let's talk soon, Levy!"

"Yes Lu, let's talk soon!"

***

I stare at the door to our room. Taking a deep breath, I slowly move my hand and turn the doorknob. The sun has gone down at this point, and despite how relatively early it is, maybe I'll catch him when he's asleep and I can deal with him in the morning. Or, even better, maybe we can forget this ever happened.

I peer into the room as the door opens a few inches, seeing nothing but darkness. I open the door wider and finally step inside.

I go over to his bed and see... nothing. He's not here. Just to be sure, I search everywhere in the room. No sign of the pink-haired bastard.

A wave of relief washes over me. Thank Makarov. I am way too drained to deal with him right now.

Now, I hear a hot shower calling my name.

***

Natsu's P.O.V

Leave it to me to fuck up this badly, as my father would say.

I open the door to our hotel room and step into the darkness. Not bothering to turn the lights on, I run my fingers through my greasy hair before taking off this shirt.

I couldn't find her anywhere. There's no way she could have left the island, right?

No. She doesn't have that kind of money.

I need a shower.

I walk over to the bathroom door and twist the knob.

Why did I have to be such a--

My mind goes blank as I see the back of a familiar blonde girl standing inside. She has her hair up in a towel and only the lower part of her body covered in a towel, leaving her entire bare back exposed.

She shrieks as she moves her arms over her chest, which I already can't see because I'm standing behind her.

No way she forgot to lock the door again.

"Natsu, is that you?" She asks shakily, not daring to turn around for, well, obvious reasons.

I don't respond. I find myself too entranced to to say anything. Speechless, I studied her from top to bottom as I had once before. I've seen her figure before, but it feels as if I'm seeing it again for the first time. And it feels no different; I am just as enchanted as last time.

I fill with desire as every inch of me longs to touch her, but my hypnosis soon breaks when I spot a bruise on her lower back.

My silence makes her more uncomfortable as her head peers up to look into the foggy mirror in front of her and she spots a pink blob in it, which is me. Her shoulders fall in relief as she realizes that I'm not some random person.

"Natsu, can we please talk about this later, I'm not decent right no--"

"What is that." I finally say, feeling anger build up within me. Why am I getting so angry? It must be from the heat when I was outside all day.

"What is what?" She asks genuinely confused.

"On your lower back. You have a bruise. Did someone hurt you?" I ask, the question seething through my teeth at just the thought.

Still seeming confused, she uses one hand to feel around her back until she finds the bruise and presses on it lightly. She slightly winces before pulling her hand away and puts it back over her chest.

"It must have been from last night." She mutters quietly, but it's loud enough for me to hear.

"Last night? How could you have gotten hurt last night?" I finally step foot into the bathroom as I walk up right behind her.

Lucy's P.O.V

"Hey! Don't--" before I can finish, Natsu is right behind me. He hunches down so he can examine the bruise more closely, lightly tracing his finger over it. I shiver at the touch, and also the feel of his hot breath against my back.

Towel you better stay strong. I don't think I will ever recover if you fall off.

After almost a minute of him examining me, he asks, "How did this happen? Was it that prick Loke!?" He raises his voice.

Natsu's P.O.V

"What?! No!" she yells back. "I-it was... it was you." She says softly as her head faces down to the ground.

"What?" I perk my head up.

Standing up straight, I say, "Lucy, turn around and look at me. What are you talking about--" I put a hand on her shoulder but she jerks it off as she clenches her chest tighter.

"No! Are you forgetting I am topless right now?!" she squeals in embarrassment.

Right.

I suppress a groan. "Tell me what I did."

She pauses for a moment, as if she's hesitant to say it.

"Lucy, I was drunk off my ass last night. If I did anything to hurt you, you need to tell me." I say a bit more softly but just as stern.

After another few seconds she finally breaks. "You backed me into a counter in the kitchen when we got home last night, and it hit me in the back. You kept coming onto me, and the more you pushed, the more I backed away and thus the more the counter pressed into my back." She says.

I feel myself fill with disgust as I imagine the situation.

"Fuck, Lucy, I didn't know..." I slowly back away, feeling guilt wash over me.

"No! It's okay, you weren't--"

"No, don't make any kind of excuse for me. What happened was wrong. I'm just gonna go--"

"Natsu, you stopped when I told you to stop. It was me who let you continue for that long."

"Why would you--"

"I think... part of me didn't want you to stop," She says.